I noticed in the AOPA website a report from the AOPA Expo that
“Avidyne Corporation announced its new, large-screen EX5000 flight situation display (FSD) at
AOPA Expo today. The FSD presents information in either horizontal or vertical formats and is expected to retail for $12,950 and will be available in January 2002. Avidyne also
joined forces with Cirrus Design to bring the new EX5000C to the cockpits of SR20 and SR22 aircraft. The EX5000C brings in data from the Garmin GNS 430 GPS navigator
and Goodrich’s WX-500 Stormscope and Skywatch Traffic Awareness System to display on a 10.4 diagonal screen.”
Anyone have the scoop - is this a replacement for the Arnav, an
option ?
Of course you get refered to the Avidyne website which makes no
mention of the product.
Rob: Hopefully, one of our COPA members at AOPA will get more information from both Avidyne and Cirrus about this.
I’m definitely interested, since my SR22B is due in February 2002 and will have both Stormscope and Skywatch. If I could get the EX5000C with interfaces currently in place for both Stormscope and Skywatch that would definitely be an improvement over ARVAV.
I’m in the same position as Stephen with a February 2001 delivery #165. The EX5000C sounds like a better alternative than Arnav. I’d also be intersted to know if and when it will be available.
Seems to me that this is Very Big news, second-biggest news of the last year for Cirrus, after the $100 million financing. Why?
Shows their flexibility on an issue where the market and the available technology were clearly changing. (Ie, Arnav had been the early leader, and then companies like Avidyne came along.)
First sign of actual, real, PC-revolution-like competition among technology suppliers to provide better, and perhaps-someday-cheaper products for the new generation of planes.
And I say all this as someone who, on balance, likes the Arnav screen and wishes Arnav well.
Yes, it’s so. Right there, front and center, at the Cirrus booth at AOPA Expo is a beautiful, bright and colorful Avidyne display. The Cirrus personnel were saying that this was news to them as of this morning, but that it would be available very soon on both the 20 & 22. Some mention was made that if you want the Avidyne and it is not available at the time of your scheduled delivery, that you can get an empty hole with a temporary cover until the Avidyne is available. Preliminary price differential was thought to be about $4,000.00. Supposedly, something to be formally announced tomorrow. The guys at the Avidyne booth looked like that cat that swallowed the canary. The guys in the Arnav booth looked like the canary’s next of kin.
> Anyone have the scoop - is this a replacement for the Arnav, an option ?
Rob,
A highly-placed source said that it will be an option. My eyes told me that the fuselage mockup that Cirrus has at their booth at the Expo has an Avidyne display where the Arnav used to be…
Yes, the SR22 mockup at the show has the Avidyne. I had Avidyne run through a 10 minute demo for me and boy, that screen is crisp and the update rate when changes are made (e.g. range) is awesome. It is flat-out beautiful, and I mean flat as in LCD, 'cause it ain’t a CRT and it only weighs 6.4 lbs. (It is super VGA = 800 x 600, 64K colors.)
Avidyne is doing a satellite WX service as well. This will require a box and an external antenna, and no one at Cirrus knew whether the weather option would be offered at the same time but it seems very likely it will be available. I’ll ask Ian Friday night about this.
The significance is that if you get the wx service you can get NEXRAD radar overlays on your big crisp moving map with 5 minute updates, which would likely be an awesome wx awareness aid.
The Avidyne already supports the stormscope and the Skywatch. One question is where this leaves things in terms of engine monitoring. I’ll also ask about that on Friday.
This is terrific news and demonstrates that Cirrus really is committed to staying at the cutting edge and being responsive to customers’ needs/preferences. This must have been in the works for a while and it is not surprising that they remained completely mum about it during that time, even to the sales force! Congratulations to Cirrus.
The Avidyne representatives were at Cirrus last week when we were there to pickup our SR22. The name of the company was even featured on the little back marque at the front door. Cirrus did not try to hide the fact that Avidyne was in talking with them.
John wrote “Preliminary price differential was thought to be about $4,000.00. Supposedly, something to be formally announced tomorrow”.
I know we are all looking for the details, but $4,000 would seem like a lot for the upgrade. Wouldn’t Avidyne’s product have to have a $4,000 higher selling price? Avidyne’s website quotes the EX5000 at $12,995 and something I received from Roger Freeman quotes the ARNAV at $12,995. Looks like an even swap to me! Thanks Cirrus :).
As a long-time critic of both the display and ARNAV’s maddeningly slow response to advancing technology, I’m pleased to see that they’ve been fired at long last. Right on, Cirrus – better late than never!
The Cirrus people all said that the pricing was still an open question. Remember, this thing just broke on Thursday. I realize that on this forum that is considered ancient history. As of the COPA meeting Saturday, no pricing was still available. However, the top Cirrus guys at the meeting all seemed very attuned to the reaction to the announcement and I am sure they know that everyone is waiting anxiously to hear about price. Also, just as an aside, all of the CIrrus people at Expo seemed to be very much aware of the COPA forums, and I am sure are monitoring the reaction to this announcement.